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Painted faces

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Whether for love, war, or ceremony, people have been altering their appearance for thousands of years. A model displays body art during the 13th Ukrainian Open Championship for hairdressing, nail design, makeup, and body art in Kiev, Ukraine, in 2009. Gleb Garanich/Reuters/File

A traditional Maori performer takes part in proceedings before the Rugby World Cup Pool A match between New Zealand All Blacks and Canada at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on Oct. 2. Jacky Naegelen/Reuters/File

Makeup is applied to the face of a member of the Murga 'Agarrate Catalina' at the Teatro de Verano (Summer Theater) of Montevideo, Uruguay, on Feb. 21. Murga is a form of popular musical theater performed in Uruguay and in Argentina during the Carnival season. Andres Stapff/Reuters/File

A traditional Chinese opera artist performs during Taiwan's Centennial Celebration of International Women's Day in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 8. Nicky Loh/Reuters/File

A model poses during the annual World Bodypainting Festival in Poertschach, Austria, on July 2. The world's largest bodypainting event takes place at Lake Woerthersee in Austria's southern Carinthia province. Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters/File

An artist does his makeup before performing in a religious play to be held ahead of the Dussehra festival celebrations at Noida in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Sept. 29. Effigies of the 10-headed Demon King 'Ravana' are burned on Dussehra, the Hindu festival that commemorates the triumph of Lord Rama over Ravana, marking the victory of good over evil. Parivartan Sharma/Reuters/File

Wodaabe men with faces covered in greasepaint perform during the 'Cure Salee' (salt cure) festival in Ingal, Niger, on Sept. 17. Tuareg, Peul, and Wodaabe nomads congregate each year at the salt flats around the northern oasis town of Ingal, where their camels, cattle, sheep, and goats drink the mineral-rich water after months on the move. Luc Gnago/Reuters/File

A New Orleans Saints fan cheers during warmups prior to the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game in Miami on Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints won 31-17. David Stluka/AP/File

A supporter of ruling party presidential candidate Nana Akufo-Addo wears body paint at a campaign rally in Accra, Ghana, in 2008. Rebecca Blackwell/AP/File

A model poses with a mirror after having makeup applied using historical Egyptian beauty items and toiletries at The Science Museum in London in 2010. Toby Melville/Reuters/File

A child from the Kayapo tribe with traditional face paint and haircut looks on during the third day of a medical expedition of the 'Expedicionarios da Saude' (Brazilian Health Expeditions) in the Kikretum community in Sao Felix, northern Brazil, on April 23. Ricardo Moraes/Reuters/File